1. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launches the “Prahari app” of the Border Security Force
Tags: National Defence Science and Technology
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched the Mobile App ‘Prahari’ of the Border Security Force (BSF) in New Delhi on 29 December 2022. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Director General of BSF Pankaj Kumar Singh were amongst those dignitaries present on the occasion.
Usefulness of the Prahari’ app
Amit Shah said that the BSF ‘Prahari’ app is a great example of Proactive Governance. “Now jawans can get personal information and information related to accommodation, Ayushmann-CAPF and leaves on their mobiles. Be it GPF, Bio Data or grievance redressal on “Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System” (CP-GRAMS) or information on various welfare schemes, now Jawans can get all this information through the app and this app will also connect them with the portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
The Union Home Minister also said that a “BSF Drone/UAV and Cyber Forensic Lab” has been set up in Noida, Uttar Pradesh through which captured drones of Pakistan have been thoroughly mapped for their linkages and locations across the border. These drones are used to bring narcotics and arms and ammunition to spread terrorism in India.
The Border Security Force was raised on 1 December 1965 after the India-Pakistan war of 1965. It is a border force which is deployed along the International border with Bangladesh and Pakistan.
BSF is also known as the nation’s ’first line of defence'. It comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
2. Department of Posts launches Online request Transfer Portal for Gramin Dak Sevaks
Tags: National News
The Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communications has launched an ‘Online request Transfer Portal’ for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) on 28th December.
Important facts
Alok Sharma, Director General Postal Services launched the portal through video conference in the virtual presence of Chief Postmaster Generals of 23 Postal Circles and senior officers of the Department.
The process from the stage of receiving application from GDS to approval and issue of transfer order through the above portal has now been made paperless and simplified.
The launch of this portal is a major step towards bringing transparency and accountability in governance processes by leveraging technology.
The online process will also save time and resources.
Transfer of more than 5000 GDS at a time has been approved through the online portal on the day of portal launch.
About Department of Posts
For more than 150 years, the Department of Posts (DOP) has played an important role in the socio-economic development of the country.
It is the largest network of post offices in the world with more than one lakh 56 thousand post offices all over India.
Postal facilities are provided through Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).
It provides services for Indian citizens like delivering mail, accepting deposits under small savings schemes, providing life insurance cover under Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI), bill collection etc.
Formed - 1 October 1854
Headquarters - New Delhi
Director General Postal Services - Alok Sharma
3. Madhya Pradesh Government to build Atal Bihari Vajpayee's grand memorial in Gwalior: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Tags: place in news State News
The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that the state government will build a huge statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a research centre as part of his grand memorial in Gwalior.
He was speaking on 25 December 2022 at the 'Gwalior Gaurav Diwas' function to mark the 98th birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The event was also attended by Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar. Vajpayee was born in Gwalior on December 25, 1924.
The Madhya Pradesh government has allotted nearly 4,050 hectares of land in Sirol area of Gwalior to build a memorial of Vajpayee.
On the occasion, noted sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, eminent scientist Dr VK Saraswat, cardiologist Dr Jamal Yusuf, international hockey player Ishika Chowdhary and educationist OP Dixit were awarded the 'Gwalior Gaurav Samman', while renowned poet Hariom Pawar was presented the 'Atal Kavi Samman'.
4. Good Governance Day 2022
Tags: Important Days
Every year 25 December is observed as Good Governance Day to mark the birth anniversary of the 10th Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The day is celebrated so as to ensure that the citizens of the country are treated fairly by the government and the various government services shall be made available to them fairly.
The purpose of Good Governance Day is to increase public access to various government programmes and services via good governance. It was established with the slogan "Good Governance through e-Governance."
Background to the day
In 2014 the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that from now on 25 December will be observed as ‘Good Governance Day’ in the memory of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Vajpayee was born on 25 December 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
He has been the prime Minister of India three times.
He became the Prime Minister for the first time on 16 May 1996 and had to resign on 1 June 1996. He was the Prime Minister for the second time from 19 March 1998 – 13 October 1999.
He became the Prime Minister for the third time from 13 October 1999 – 22 May 2004.
Unique facts about Vajpayee
He was the first person to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in Hindi. As an External Affairs Minister he spoke in Hindi at the 32nd Session of the UNGA in 1977.
He also holds the distinction of being the prime minister of India for the shortest time, 16 days in 1996.
He was the first Prime Minister against whom a no- confidence motion was passed in the Lok Sabha. He lost the no confidence vote by 1 vote in 1999.
He was awarded India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna on 27 March 2015.
5. Union Minister Dr; Jitendra Singh launches revamped Probity Portal, e-HRMS 2.0 Portal
Tags: National Government Schemes Person in news
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has launched a revamped Probity Portal, e-HRMS 2.0 Portal and e-Books on major Initiatives/Achievements of Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions on 25 December 2022 on the occasion of the Good Governance Day in New Delhi.
The week-long ‘Governance Week’ (19-25 December 2022) celebrations with a nationwide launch of “PrashasanGaon Ki Ore” campaign also concluded on this day.
Revamped e-HRMS 2.0 Portal
The Revamped Probity Portal was launched for the central government employees in 2017. It provided limited HR related services to the employees .To add more services and interlink it with other government apps the government has launched the Revamped e-HRMS 2.0 Portal.
The Revamped e-HRMS 2.0 Portal will provide the following services in a digital mode to the employees - Transfers (Rotation/Mutual), Deputation, APAR, IPR, iGOT Trainings, Vigilance Status, Deputation Opportunities, Service Book and other basic HR Services like Leave, Tour, Reimbursements etc
The revamped e-HRMS 2.0 is the first digital system in Government of India to provide end-to-end HR Services.
Mobile Application of iGoTKarmayogi Portal by Karmayogi Bharat (SPV)
The Minister also launched Mobile Application of iGoTKarmayogi Portal by Karmayogi Bharat (SPV) with an aim to create professional, well trained and future ready civil service for India, The app and the platform will allow all government servants, at multiple levels, to undergo continuous training, depending on their domain areas. The app and the platform will provide anytime-anywhere-any-device learning to train about 2 crores users.
6. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs wins Platinum Icon in Digital India Awards 2022
Tags: Awards
The Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has won the Platinum Icon at the Digital India Awards 2022 for their initiative "DataSmart Cities: Empowering Cities through Data".
Important facts
The award was announced under the ‘Data Sharing and Use for Socio-Economic Development’ category.
About Data smart Cities Initiative
The DataSmart Cities Initiative is a key step in creating a robust data ecosystem that enables evidence-based decision-making in cities.
It aims to harness the power of data for better governance in India’s 100 Smart Cities.
It is based on a ‘People, Platform, Process’ strategy, which is helping in the convergence of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs' efforts for performance management, empowerment of communities, and research, co-creation & open innovation.
The initiative has institutionalised a Data Ecosystem in cities through 100 City Data Offices and more than 50 Data Policies.
About Digital India Awards 2022
It is a prestigious National competition that seeks to encourage and honour innovative digital solutions by government entities in realising the Digital India vision.
These are conducted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
7. IICA launches ESG Impact Leaders Program
Tags: National News
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India has launched on 20th December a programme to create Impact Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG).
Important facts
Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt of India Leena Nandan was the Chief Guest at the launch.
Impact Leader programme is designed as a comprehensive course on ESG giving a holistic understanding of the philosophy of ESG, its principles, its relevance and its implication in the current scenario.
The Six Month course comprising 8 Self paced learning modules will be delivered online.
Renowned ESG professionals of International & National repute would be involved in delivering the live interactive Master classes.
IICA has also created the 'National Association of Impact Leaders' which is a membership-based association exclusively for ESG professionals.
The association will provide a platform for professional advancement and engagement to its members.
In future this association may also act as a regulatory body to strengthen the ESG Profession in India.
Key points of Learnings
Understanding the Glocal ESG Landscape
Identifying ESG Risks and Opportunities
Identification and layout of materiality aspects of ESG
Managing all ESG aspects in an organization - turning theory into action
Integrating ESG best practices into core operations - Creating an ESG sensitive culture
Creating flexible ESG strategies
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
It was registered as a society on September 12, 2008 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
It is an autonomous institute, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to deliver opportunities for research, education, and advocacy.
It is a think-tank, capacity building and service delivery institute.
8. Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated 'Prashasan Gaon ki Ore' campaign under Good Governance Week 2022
Tags: Important Days National News
Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 'Prashasan Gaon ki Ore', a nationwide campaign under the Good Governance Week 2022 in New Delhi on 19th December. He also launched the Good Governance Week portal.
Important facts
In the 5 days campaign, over 300 New Services identified by District Collectors across the country will be added for Online Service Delivery.
The nationwide campaign for redressal of public grievances and improvement in service delivery will be organised in all districts, states and union territories of the country.
More than 700 district collectors will participate in the campaign and officers will visit tehsil and panchayat samiti headquarters.
During the initial phase of Good Governance Week 2022, organised from 10th to 18th of this month, District Collectors have identified more than 81 lakh applications for service delivery.
Along with this, more than 19 lakh public grievances are to be redressed through the State Portal.
373 best governance practices were identified for discussion in district level workshops. The workshop will be organised on the 23rd of this month.
During the 'Good Governance Week' of Good Governance Week-2022 from December 19 to December 25, 43 success stories in public grievances will also be shared.
What is Good Governance?
Good governance refers to processes and institutions that produce outcomes that make the best use of resources while meeting the needs of society.
The constitution is based on the principles of a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic committed to democracy, the rule of law and the welfare of its citizens.
Every citizen of the nation is primarily concerned with the efficient functioning of the government.
Principles of Good Governance
Participation
Rule of law
Transparency
Responsiveness
Consensus orientation
Equity
Effectiveness and efficiency
Accountability
9. NMDC wins IEI Industry Excellence Award 2022
Tags: Economy/Finance Awards
National Miner National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) won the coveted IEI (Institution of Engineers, India) Industry Excellence Award 2022 on 16th December,2022 in Chennai.
Important facts
On behalf of NMDC, N R K Prasad, CGM (IE & MS), received the award from Dr K Ponmudy, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Tamil Nadu.
NMDC, the largest producer of iron ore in the country, was honoured at the 37th Indian Engineering Congress for its outstanding performance and high level of business excellence.
The Institution of Engineers (India) has given the Industry Excellence Award to NMDC , after reviewing the business operations, financial performance, environmental performance, research and development, CSR and corporate governance policies of a company.
With an eco-friendly, economic and efficient approach, NMDC is undertaking transformational projects to maintain its domestic leadership and move towards becoming a global mining company.
About NMDC
It was incorporated in 1958 as a Government of India public enterprise.
It is India’s largest producer of iron ore.
Since inception, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Steel, it has been exploring minerals including copper, rock phosphate, limestone, magnesite, diamond, tungsten and beach sand, among others.
Headquarters: Hyderabad
10. G-7 agrees $15.5B energy deal with Vietnam to cut emissions
Tags: International News
The Group of Seven (G-7) rich industrialised nations has approved an agreement to provide $15.5 billion to Vietnam.
Important facts
This will help the Southeast Asian nation rapidly move from coal-fired power to renewable energy, thereby reducing its climate-damaging pollution.
The Group of Seven major economies, along with Norway and Denmark, said that the aim is to help Vietnam reduce its emissions to “net zero” by 2050, a goal which experts say needs to be met globally to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Just Energy Transition Partnership with Vietnam is among a series of agreements that developing and rich nations are negotiating.
The first such deal was signed with South Africa last year, and a similar agreement was reached with Indonesia last month.
The $15.5 billion of funding will come from public and private sources over the coming three to five years.
About G7
The G7 or the Group of Seven is a group of the seven most advanced economies.
The seven countries are Canada, the USA, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Italy.
It was formed in 1975.
G7 countries meet annually to discuss issues of common interest like global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
All the G7 countries and India are a part of G20.
The G7 does not have a fixed headquarters.
The UK currently chairs the G7 and has invited India along with Australia, the Republic of Korea and South Africa as guest countries for the G7 summit.
